It was another gloomy morning.

In the cold wind of early spring, several horse-drawn carriages galloped out of the War Department, thinking about the center of Paris.

Along the quietly flowing Seine, through the streets next to the wide Place de la Révolution, they end up under the gardens of the Tuileries.

When the carriages stopped, Charles and Viscount Alex de Lautrec, deputy chief of the Secretariat of the War Office, slowly stepped down from the wagons in various places, and a group of officers and men of the Army who had followed them also stepped out of the carriages and stood behind them, looking ahead as if they were facing a great enemy.

After stepping out of the carriage, the two of them looked at each other, and then looked at the main entrance of the palace.

Unlike the crowded summer days, the Tuileries Gardens are rather bleak at this time, with few pedestrians in sight. The unattended flowers were still wilting lifelessly, making the already gloomy sky even more gloomy.

Against this gloomy background, the guards in bright uniforms and standing upright at their posts looked even more willful.

"There are only so many people?" Alex winked at Charles, as if worried about something, "Could there be some ambush inside?" ”

"I don't think he dare." Charles calmly asserted, "Besides, even if he arranges for someone to resist inside, what's the point, the life and death of the two of us can't solve any problems." ”

"There is some truth to that......" Viscount Lautrec nodded first, and then suddenly smiled dumbly, "but." You're a lot bolder than you seem. ”

"It's only when I'm so sure that I'm bold." Charles gave an honest answer. "I really don't like to take unnecessary risks."

As he spoke, he made a gesture to the crowd. Then he took the lead and walked towards the palace.

Along the way, Charles and Alex looked very calm, as if they didn't see the group of soldiers with loaded guns. And as they reached the gate, the guards suddenly raised their guns and raised them upward.

"Salute!"

With the soldiers saluting, Alex hurriedly returned the salute, but Charles only paused slightly, made a gesture, and walked straight inside.

"A good sign, isn't it?" Before walking into the palace. Alex whispered in Charles' ear, "After all, obedience is the instinct of most soldiers. ”

In this way, in the deep corridors of the Tuileries Palace, Charles and Viscount Alex de Roetrec walked leisurely and unhurriedly, surrounded by a group of army officers and soldiers.

Since the beginning of the Revolution, Louis XVI was escorted back to Paris from Versailles by a group of Parisian women and placed under house arrest in this palace, Napoleon, the Restoration, and the July Dynasty have all regarded this palace as a royal palace, so in Alex's opinion. There is also a strong sense of history here.

"Ah, poor Duileries," said Viscount Lautrec, who sighed quietly like a poet. "You're so much dimmer than you used to be! When I first joined the army, I came here with a group of officers and was summoned by His Majesty the King. It was a glorious place back then! Ay...... What a pity. ”

Charles felt the same way.

Compared to the last time I came to the court banquet of King Louis-Philippe, it is now in the Tuileries Palace. The aggressiveness that belonged only to the monarch was gone, and even the reflections of the gold and bronze objects along the way seemed to be much dimmed. But. Thankfully, the palace has withstood the onslaught of the revolution, and the furnishings inside are still intact, and it is clear that it has been carefully maintained and not completely tarnished.

After the Revolution, King Louis-Philippe was driven out of France in disgrace, and the palace was expropriated by the Revolutionary Government. When General Changargne was appointed commander of the garrison of Paris and commander of the National Guard, he chose it to be his command.

Undoubtedly, this arrangement caused some discussion even within the army, but the general still went his own way, as if he wanted to show off his power.

However...... He will soon be no longer powerful, because today Charles and Alex are here to convey the president's dismissal order against him.

If he had a good time, after about an hour, he would have to pack up and prepare to leave the palace and return it to the president and the country.

"It will soon be glorious again," whispered Charles in a prophetic tone, "and then you will have to worship another new monarch here." ”

Indeed it is.

In the near future, it will once again be the royal palace of the Second French Empire, where Louis Bonaparte will sit and receive the audience of his ministers and foreign envoys, and it will be here that he will give orders to the entire French Empire.

"It's not going to be a good experience for me." Alex shrugged, "But, Mr. Treville, if you can be happy with this, what can I not bear?" ”

This slightly mocking remark, Charles just laughed it off.

While the two were talking and laughing, Charles and his party came to a large hall.

Charles looked carefully at the layout of the hall, at the magnificent crystal chandelier overhead, at the fringed walls, and suddenly felt familiar. Then suddenly it dawned on him that it was here that he had met His Majesty Louis-Philippe I a few years earlier.

He was imposing and invincible, but soon after, his dynasty collapsed, and he had to flee France and die in a foreign land.

How unpredictable is the change of the world...... Looking at the empty throne, Charles suddenly sighed in his heart.

It didn't take long for him to regain his thoughts, and then he turned to look at the attachés who had come with him.

"Bring General Shangargne over, and I will read the President's order to him here."

"Yes!" One of the officers immediately took the order and walked out of the hall.

However. The hall fell silent again, and everyone was silent.

The charr had deliberately arranged it that way. Because he didn't want his trip to look like he was going to see General Shangargne. He wants to tell the other party in an unmistakable way that his political career is over.

However, after waiting for a long time. The general still didn't come.

The atmosphere began to become tense, and everyone looked at each other with trepidation, for fear that a group of fierce soldiers with loaded guns and ammunition would suddenly rush in.

"Why would you risk your own life?" After a long silence, Viscount Lautrec suddenly complained next to Charles, "To convey the president's order, one or two messengers are enough, why bother so much to mobilize the people......"

"The other messengers may leave him with luck, and I must tell him unequivocally. He's finished, and no one needs to worry about him anymore. Charles replied calmly, "Don't worry, Alex, no sane person would choose to resist. ”

"What if he loses his mind?" Alex retorted.

"So...... You're going to have to die because of my stubbornness. Charles suddenly laughed teasingly.

Seeing Alex's face suddenly turn ugly, Charles couldn't help but smile even more, "Ah, I'm just kidding, don't be afraid...... All right. Let me tell you, now he is alone. The commander of the Tuileries Palace Guards, having learned that his chief was about to be dismissed, made a very correct decision. So. Even if General Shangargne wants to go crazy, the others will care about their lives and will not go crazy with him......"

After such persuasion by Charles. Viscount Lautrec's face finally became normal, and he seemed relieved.

"I'll just say it. How could a cunning man like you risk his life without the slightest preparation? ”

Just as Charles was about to taunt Alex one more time, the door to the living room was slowly reopened.

Shangarne, dressed in military uniform, appeared at the door.

This is a middle-aged man in his forties and fifties. The hair is slightly curly, the nose is hooked, and the body shape is quite proportional. His face was yellowish, but a little red, and his beard was quite long, and at first glance he looked shrewd and a little tired. The uniform fits well, but it's a little crumpled and doesn't seem to have been carefully groomed.

Charles wasn't surprised that he was in poor spirits, but he was still a little surprised when he noticed that the other man was stumbling towards him.

He appeared to have just been forcibly woken up from a drunken state.

"General Shangarne, I think we told you in advance that we were coming to you today." After a moment's hesitation, Charles said to the general with implicit accusations, "I have to think that your current mental state is too bad. ”

After hearing Charles's accusations, the general burst out laughing.

"Hey, hey, haha, come on! I just hate that you come to this set, it's not straightforward at all, if you want to say that I'm not respectful enough to you, just say it, I won't admit it! Why, do you think I'm going to come and ask Bonaparte for forgiveness? ”

In the face of this scathing rebuttal, Charles couldn't help but frown slightly.

Forget it, this kind of person who has failed, there is no need to be angry with him.

"It looks like you're in good spirits, or at least you can understand what's going on." Charles looked at the general calmly, and then, step by step, he walked up to the general, "Then, I will tell you the task of my trip......"

Then, Charles stretched out his hand and calmly handed it to the general, "This is the president's new appointment to you, please take a look at it first......"

However, when Charles handed the document to the general, the general suddenly raised his hand and swept it heavily, so he was caught off guard, and the document in Charles's hand was knocked to the ground.

"I said, don't come with me, I know what you want to do! Isn't that just going to dismiss me? I already knew that, and I've been waiting for this day all along! As the general shouted a loud reprimand, a foul smell of wine quickly rushed to Charles's nose, making Charles frown uncomfortably, "I can stand the removal of me, but I feel very uncomfortable looking at your style, it's disgusting!" Speak openly, don't you just want to drive me away, and then usurp the power of the country, so that that Bonaparte bastard can be brought to power! ”

As the general scolded, the attachés brought by Charles looked at the general vigilantly, as if they were facing a great enemy. It seems that they are all planning to wait for Charles to give him an order to stop him.

However, Charles never gave this instruction, and he just calmly looked at the general, who was clearly furious.

- Others are afraid of you. If I want to give you three points, I don't take you seriously! The general still glared at Charles with disgust. "You are a bunch of sneaky thieves, with a fair signboard, but behind your back, you want to steal every Qiē in France!" But God is watching, no matter how good you are at deception and deception, one day you will be punished! ”

"Don't do that, General. Since you're involved in a game, I guess. Naturally, you should have the demeanor to lose the game...... Charles finally sneered, "Since that's all it takes, I'll let me explain it a little bit...... Please be decent, take orders from the president, and you can at least be safe. ”

"Phew! Do you think I'm going to be like you, wagging my tail and begging for mercy from that Bonaparte, and begging for a little scrap of cold burn as a reward, never! The general shouted again, "Do you think I will be as unprincipled and mercenary as you?" No. I'm not like you, I can't stand the stench of that conspirator of the Élysée...... And the surname Trevill has been ruined by you! ”

"It's not good to say this kind of thing after losing, after all, you're not the same kind of person?" Seeing the other party say so. Charles's heart was also a little annoyed, "Are you morally much higher than us?" ”

"Of course I'm nobler than you, at least I didn't use a ghost to decorate myself!" The general burst out laughing. "Napoleon! Napoleon! You will only shout this name and extract the toxin from it that will deceive the people. What else will you do? ”

"You don't have the right to insult a great man like that......" Charles frowned, then gestured back.

The retinue walked up in understanding. Ready to pull the general.

"The dead emperor, what did he bring to France? Sixteen years of endless wars, crazy conquest and bloodshed, what did they get in exchange? When he stepped down, France was even smaller than it was when he came to power! The general's originally gray eyes seemed to glow with blood-red light at this moment, "What contribution did he bring to the country?" Leaving aside his boastful words, I only see that for the sake of his own crazy ideas, he has pulled a people to the edge of destruction! Once is not enough, I have to do it again! What exactly is there to remember about him? For your own selfishness, you have deliberately deceived the people, stirred up their enthusiasm, and made them forget the misery of the past, believing that they will be able to do it again, and you will be blindfolded and led to the most terrible hell again...... You bastards, where are you nobler than us?! In the end, I can assure you, you will be in the same situation as him, nay, even worse than him, the emperor has at least a genius to brag about, and you will only be spit on after a defeat, and I ...... Haha, I will wait for the day of your fall and sing for joy at your funeral! ”

Charles couldn't listen anymore.

He hurriedly waved his hand, allowing his entourage to hold the general and subdue the general's struggle.

"The general is drunk, and now he is not sober." Looking at the others, he whispered the order, "But the president's order is still in effect, and from now on, he will no longer hold his current position." Alright, take him to rest. ”

As he was dragged away, the general laughed and scolded Charles and Louis Bonaparte.

But the charr had fallen on deaf ears.

There is no doubt that the general's appearance is terrible, not like a strong soldier.

He wasn't sure he would be able to maintain his dignity even when he left the game.

So...... The only solution is to keep winning, and there is no other way to go. No matter how many hardships and terrible enemies there are on the road, I can only close my eyes and move forward, even with the conviction of a sleepwalker, I must go on with determination. For, as Louis Bonaparte said, after tasting the lusciousness of power, defeat is like death.

I'm going to win.

In the glittering halls of the Tuileries Palace, Charles looked at the empty throne and made up his mind. (To be continued......) R1292